Anna of Russia

Anna Ioannovna, also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much of her administration was defined or heavily influenced by actions set in motion by her uncle, Peter the Great, such as the lavish building projects in St. Petersburg, funding the Russian Academy of Science, and measures which generally favored the nobility, such as the repeal of a primogeniture law in 1730. In the West, Anna's reign was traditionally viewed as a continuation of the transition from the old Muscovy ways to the European court envisioned by Peter the Great. Within Russia, Anna's reign is often referred to as a "dark era".

7 February 1693

Born on the same birth day (7 February): Adriana of Nassau-Siegen • Amedeo Guillet • Arthur Collins (singer) • Dalibor Bagarić • Deborah Ann Woll • Dámaso García • Eddie Izzard • Ernest E. Debs • Gareth Hunt • Giuseppe Baresi • Jacksepticeye • King Curtis • Laura Ingalls Wilder • Oscar Brand • Queen Dangyeong • Steve Nash • Thomas Andrews